Most of Mcallen is in Hidalgo County, where a full-time job needs to pay at least $23.48 an hour before taxes to take home four times the typical studio rent.
Across the 5 ZIP codes in Mcallen with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $800 to $990 a month. At the middle rent, $870, a full-time job would need to pay $25.66 an hour before taxes.
What the standard would be at each ZIP code's own studio rent. The calculator and the official standard use the county figure.
| ZIP | County | Studio rent | Pay needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78501 | Hidalgo County | $870/mo | $25.66/hr |
| 78502 | Hidalgo County | $800/mo | $23.48/hr |
| 78503 | Hidalgo County | $930/mo | $27.52/hr |
| 78504 | Hidalgo County | $990/mo | $29.39/hr |
| 78505 | Hidalgo County | $800/mo | $23.48/hr |
Under the Four Times Rent standard, a full-time job in Mcallen needs to pay at least $23.48 an hour before taxes, about $48,834 a year. That is the figure for Hidalgo County, where the typical studio rent is $800 a month.
Yes. Across the 5 ZIP codes in Mcallen with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $800 to $990 a month. At the middle rent of $870, the pay needed would be $25.66 an hour.
The minimum wage in Hidalgo County is $7.25 an hour. The Four Times Rent standard there is 3.2 times that.
The Four Times Rent standard: a month of full-time work (160 hours) should take home at least four times the typical rent on a studio apartment in the county where the work is done. Rents: HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents. Taxes: 2026 federal and state income taxes plus Social Security and Medicare, for a single filer. Why four times rent? · Method and data downloads